Authorities in Baja California Sur recovered six sets of skeletal remains from five clandestine graves in San José del Cabo after completing exhumation work on July 5. The discovery also yielded fragmented bone remains, according to the state Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado (PGJE), the state attorney general’s office.
The find was the result of coordinated operations between the PGJE’s specialized unit for forced disappearance crimes, the State Commission for the Search of Missing Persons, and family search collectives. Military personnel and Mexico’s National Guard provided security at the site during processing and exhumation.
Remains Sent to Forensic Labs for Identification
The six recovered skeletal remains and bone fragments have been transported to forensic laboratories for genetic and anthropological analysis. Investigators expect the identification process to take several weeks. Families of registered missing persons will be kept informed as results become available. The PGJE has opened criminal investigations to determine who is responsible for the burials.
The discovery follows a pattern that has made Los Cabos a recurring site for such finds. In late April and early May 2026, searchers located three clandestine graves in San José del Cabo containing at least four bodies. In July 2024, 13 bodies were found in 10 graves in Cabo San Lucas. In May 2024, 18 bodies were recovered from 14 graves in La Paz. In 2021, three homemade crematoriums were found in San José del Cabo surrounded by the remains of 28 people.
Families Demand Government Action
Elisandra Cabanillas Guerrero, the mother of Alberto Cabanillas Guerrero, who disappeared in San José del Cabo on June 9, 2025, released a video message directed at President Claudia Sheinbaum asking for government help. Her plea came as the latest graves were being processed, putting a human face on the ongoing disappearance crisis in the Los Cabos municipality.
Search collectives led by family members of the disappeared have become essential to locating clandestine burial sites across Baja California Sur. Iris Manríquez, founder of the Búsqueda x La Paz collective, has been among those documenting the scale of the problem statewide. The latest case adds pressure on state authorities to increase resources for search commissions operating across the state.
The PGJE confirmed the completion of site processing on July 5, as reported by Milenio.